Whatsapp is bringing screen sharing to video calls
It seems that WhatsApp, the household-name popular messaging app, is now looking to take on the likes of MS Teams, Google Meet, Zoom, and others. The Meta-owned messaging platform on Tuesday introduced a new feature that enhances its video calling experience. WhatsApp’s latest addition introduces screen sharing during video calls in a move to improve communication and collaboration among users, especially for work-related purposes.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed the same in a post on Facebook and Instagram. “We’re adding the ability to share your screen during a video call on WhatsApp,” he wrote. If this takes off, then you need no longer go to other video conferencing apps, for they have come to you!
If you cannot wait to get your hands on this, note that WhatsApp has begun rolling out the screen sharing feature in a phased manner across Android, iOS, and Windows Desktop platforms. While it might not be immediately available to all users, it is expected to become accessible to all users soon.
With the introduction of screen sharing, WhatsApp users now have the ability to share their phone’s screen during video calls. This feature allows a host to share the content displayed on their screen with other participants, making it a valuable tool for various scenarios, including office meetings and presentations. Screen sharing can include documents, photos, and even the contents of a shopping cart, and it makes it easier to discuss, review, and collaborate on documents, presentations, and other visual materials, especially in the workplace, all in real-time.
Accessing the feature is straightforward: users can tap or click the ‘Share’ icon during a video call and select either a specific application or their entire screen for sharing. This approach is similar to how screen sharing functions on other video conferencing platforms.
The arrival of this feature is far from unexpected, given that it was first spotted in use by some beta testers on Android in late May. Video calling has been an indispensable part of WhatsApp, and the days of the pandemic highlighted the need (and uses) of popular video-conferencing apps. WhatsApp’s move to incorporate screen sharing brings it closer in functionality to established video conferencing apps such as Google Meet, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams. By enabling screen sharing for group video calls and enhancing the overall video calling experience, WhatsApp aims to attract both personal and professional users who require seamless communication and collaboration.
In addition to screen sharing, WhatsApp has also introduced support for video calling in Landscape mode. This enhancement provides a wider and more immersive viewing experience compared to the existing Portrait mode. The Landscape mode complements the screen-sharing feature by providing a more visually engaging environment when showcasing shared content.
